Giuliani: Leak of Drone Target Compromises Mission

U.S. officials who leaked plans for a possible drone strike on a U.S. citizen planning terror attacks don't take their oaths of office seriously and should worry President Barack Obama, says former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Giuliani was referring to a report by the Associated Press that Obama has been debating for the past six months whether to strike the U.S. citizen, who has links to al-Qaida. The man reportedly is planning attacks on Americans overseas.

According to the AP, the man is hiding in a country that is not agreeable to U.S. military action on its soil but is incapable of capturing or killing the man.

Recent rules changes make it illegal for the CIA to make the kill, and it is CIA drones that have been monitoring the man's whereabouts. He must be killed by the military, and the Pentagon has recommended that the action be taken.

Giuliani told Van Susteren that there should be no debate about the legality of the action. Congress passed a law soon after 9/11 that allows the killing of U.S. citizens not on U.S. soil if they threaten imminent danger to Americans.

The man fits both those criteria, Giuliani noted.

"This should be done quietly, it should be done carefully, it should be done discreetly," he said. "The administration is debating this in the press, which is extraordinary."

Such leaks usually indicate that the leaker opposes the action and is frustrated that it may happen.

The four officials who leaked the secret discussions to the press "apparently don't take their oath of office seriously enough," Giuliani said. Obama should be concerned about their loyalty, he added.

U.S. officials who leaked plans for a possible drone strike on a U.S. citizen planning terror attacks don't take their oaths of office seriously and should worry President Barack Obama, says former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.